Oh My Ghat!

Varanasi is one of the holiest cities in India and as such it attracts pilgrims from around the country and, to a lesser extent, from around the world.

It’s along the ghats, the steps leading to the Ganga (Ganges River), where pilgrims congregate.

Each ghat has a name and is renowned for something in particular. There is the main ghat, Dasaswamedh, where shops are located and the majority of pilgrims make their puja (offerings or respect for the Ganga). They may take a holy dip in the water, bath, brush their teeth or offer a floating candle that sits in a cupcake like paper holder and is surrounded by marigold leaves. Many Indians come to die in Varanasi or to be cremated at the ghats. Washing in the river is believed to do away with a lifetime of sins.

Pilgrims prepare for a dip in the Ganga

I chose not to bath here, not because of my lack of lifetime sins, but because of the incredible filth in and around the Ganga.

Sunrise is the most frequented time when pilgrims come to the river. They pray as the sun rises through the city’s smog and haze. In the evenings, dance and music performances are staged for the Indians. Boats sat on the river loaded with musicians and platforms sat on the ghats to accomodate sitar and tabla players.

The Ganga at Sunrise

Artists and audience alike prayed, clapped their hands, rang bells, offered puja and sang. In India, it’s everything all at once and it’s truer here, in Varanasi, more than any other place.